New Delhi: After a humiliating defeat of party in the Bihar Assembly election in 2010, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan is making desperate efforts to resurrect his party in the state. In an unveiled attack on Janata Dal United, he has described the state government’s campaign for a special status to Bihar as a mere political stunt.

He said the demand for special status to Bihar is not a new issue. Paswan pointed out that Bihar came into existence in 1912.

Paswan pointed out that on two occasions, Bihar assembly had approved the special status to the state and a proposal in this regard had been forwarded to the Union Government. “At that time, Nitish Kumar was a minister in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.” Though a committee headed by Nitish Kumar was constituted in the NDA tenure, but if failed to arrive on any conclusion.

LJP president said he will not support the Nitish Kumar government’s efforts to seek consensus among the political parties for demanding special status to Bihar. Paswan claimed that the Bihar CM himself was least bothered over the issue.

In special debate on this issue on May, 16, 2002, most of the MPs seeking special status to Bihar remained absent from Lok Sabha. Paswan said that during the discussion, BJP and JDU parliamentarians were more focused about the achievements of NDA government rather than giving importance to the issue related to Bihar. JPN/Bureau